White Picket Fences
by Alykt
Summary: Rogue and Gambit learn that "happily ever after" isn't all it's cut out to be.


All characters belong to Marvel except Felicity, who belongs to me. This story is an experiment of sorts in complete narrative form. I'm not quite sure whether or not it works, so drop me a line and let me know what you think. For Vicki Lew, who said she wanted more Rogue and Gambit fics, although I'm pretty sure this wasn't what she meant. 

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White Picket Fences  
by Alykat  
July 1999 

Once upon a time, a beautiful young woman married the man of her dreams. 

As they were both superheroes, and this is a fairy tale of sorts, they had to endure much angst and hardship before they could get to the part where they were allowed to start living happily ever after. 

Happily ever after got off to a bad start. 

The wedding was beautiful and had gone off surprisingly well, with all guests on their best behavior and no supervillains having the temerity to crash the "blessed event." Yes, all things considered, the wedding went very well. 

The problems began with the wedding night. 

The young woman and her man, both being of fairly creative imaginations, had already thought of ways to get past the curse that had previously trapped the woman in her own personal stone tower. What the ardent lovers failed to consider was one of the young woman's usually more positive attributes -- her strength. 

Alas, superhuman strength and human passion did not go well together for the couple that night, for as soon as they entered the throes of lovemaking, they had to stop, lest her Prince Charming be forced to suffer possibly irreparable harm. 

But they loved each other, and so vowed that such things were not important and could be missed. 

The couple chose to leave behind their superhero lives in favor of a more settled life. Both had secretly dreamed all their lives of living like the people they risked their lives to protect. Love. Marriage. Family. A house, a dog and a white picket fence. This was their chance to make their dreams come true. 

They settled down in a small town outside of Atlanta, Georgia. Their house did have a white picket fence, and they adopted a puppy they named Skippy. The young woman gloried in her chance to make her house a home -- their home. Her husband dutifully followed her on the innumerable trips to furniture, linen and home improvement stores to fix up their little red-brick house. 

He liked repairing and installing things around the house, and so declared that responsibility (and the garage that served as his workshop) as his domain. She wanted to help, but that often led to disagreements and arguments, so eventually she shifted her focus and declared her own domain: the kitchen. 

And so it went for over a year. 

Both the young woman and her husband worked steady jobs and came home to each other and Skippy every night. They hoped that would be enough, but instead they found themselves snapping at each other more and more. 

Finally, they had to admit that they weren't happy. 

He missed the thrill and danger of his previous life. The biggest scandal in their small town involved a neighbor distilling moonshine in his backyard shed. It paled in comparison to the night life of the "real" New Orleans, his former home. 

She missed feeling like she could cut loose and zip through the skies whenever she felt the urge. But her neighbors looked oddly enough at her because of her white-streaked auburn hair. She could only wonder what they would do if they found out she was a mutant. 

So the couple decided they needed a break. They took a vacation from their 9-5 jobs and their little red-brick home, put Skippy in the back of their Volkswagen Beetle and drove off to New York to visit their superhero friends. The couple caught up on new tales of gallantry and derring-do (as well as a practical joke or two) and helped save the world a few times. They they returned home. 

And realized they still weren't happy. 

Something was missing. A void existed in their happy union. A void they desperately wanted to fill. 

So they adopted a baby. 

She was a happy little child, and they named her Felicity, hoping she would bring new joy to their lives. They doted on the child, and for twelve years they told themselves that they were the perfect happy little family, with a happy little red-brick house with a white picket fence, a happy little dog and a happy little baby. 

Then their happy home was attacked by evil mutants. Their pretty red-brick house with its white picket fence was destroyed. Felicity was inside, hiding under her bed with Skippy in her arms. 

And after the battle, the young woman, no longer young, and her husband looked at each other in sorrow. 

The couple buried the memories of their former life and moved back to New York to live with their superhero friends. But no matter how hard they tried to distract themselves, they could not push away the rage, the guilt, the loss, the blame. 

The woman's hair turned as white as her stripe, and her mate's posture grew stooped. They argued and fought, and to avoid the constant arguments and fights, they began to simply avoid each other. 

One day, they met by chance in the mansion's vestibule. They stared at each other for a long time. And they knew. 

They returned to their rooms and packed their belongings. Bags in hand, they walked out the door. And they parted ways at the front gates. 

Happily ever after. 

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"But happily ever after fails  
And we've been poisoned by these fairy tales..." 

~ Don Henley, "The End of the Innocence"


End file.
